Page 104 of Death and Donuts

“You wouldn’t be the person I love if you stopped caring about other people, Everly. I know you left to save the girl, and you let me know where you were going.” He exhaled heavily.“Maybe next time you could pick up after sending something like that though.”

I turned my head to meet his gaze. “I knew you would tell me not to go.”

He nodded and kissed my forehead.

“What about these two?” Tank asked.

“We’ll take them to the house with us,” Shepard said. “Even with Miles and Sierra, we still have room.”

He stood and set me on my feet, straightening the shirt I wore so it mostly covered me.

It was dark outside when we finally left. I looked back at the old, rusty building and shuddered, knowing it’d take up residence in my nightmares until both Master and Pet were dead.

Cross opened the passenger door to Shepard’s SUV and helped me inside, even going so far as to buckle my seatbelt for me. It made me feel ridiculous that I was such a mess that they were treating me with kid gloves, but at the same time, it was exactly what I needed.

I murmured my thanks after he hopped in the backseat.

As Shepard drove, he assured me and Cross that Doc had already picked up the company car and it would be at the pack house.

“I don’t care about that,” Cross said. “We need to meet with Effora. All of us. The longer we wait, the more situations like this will occur.”

“Before Everly texted us, Hugh was able to pin down Effora.”

“What time is the meeting?” Cross asked.

“Noon tomorrow. Hugh will tell us where.”

Tomorrow. Noon. The idea of either of them leaving my side made my stomach churn.

“Can I go, too? I don’t want to be alone.”

Both agreed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

At the pack house,Cross said goodbye and told Shepard he would keep looking for Vivian and Adriel.

Shepard walked me to the door, his arm around my shoulders. The men we passed on the way in gave me funny looks, and I wondered if it was because I only wore a shirt or because I reeked of vampire from my time in Adriel and Vivian’s love-slash-murder nest.

I shivered, and Shepard hurried me to his suite. He steered me right into the master bathroom where he programmed the shower, eased me out of the shirt, and helped me under the warm spray.

His eyes darkened as he scanned my bruise-riddled body, and I saw guilt.

“It’s not your fault,” I said. “It’s mine. Let’s both let go of the guilt and just appreciate the fact that everyone is safe for now. And for at least the next twenty-four hours, you’ll get that clinginess you craved.”

With a small nod, he gently washed me, taking care not to press too hard on my skin.

Afterward, he pulled a soft t-shirt from his dresser, slipped it on me, and helped me into bed. I snuggled against him, creatingas many contact points as possible. Finally feeling safe, I let myself sleep.

The next morning,I found myself comfortably sandwiched between Cross and Shepard. Shepard was spooning me from behind with an arm looped around my waist as if he was ensuring I couldn’t wander away in his sleep.

Cross opened his eyes to watch me as I quietly yawned.

“What time is it?” I asked softly.

“Just after ten,” he returned just as quietly.

I knew I needed to get up but didn’t want to wake up Shepard.

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